XYZ highlights range versatility at Southern Manufacturing

There will be lots to see and discuss on the XYZ Machine Tools stand (S122) at Southern Manufacturing on the 21-23 March 2017 at FIVE, Farnborough. In addition to a number of its machine tools being on the stand and under power, visitors will also be able to discuss visiting XYZ’s Devon HQ to see the newly added XYZ LR range of linear rail vertical machining centres and the XYZ UMC-5X The Challenger, XYZ’s first gantry-type fully simultaneous five axis machining centre.

As always XYZ Machine Tools’ display will highlight the versatility within its range, which goes from manual training lathes and grinders through to the new UMC-5X machining centre, which appeal to a broad sector of enterprises from one-man bands, engineering training centres and colleges and blue chip companies. On show will be a cross section of that range including the XYZ SMX3500 bed mill, an XYZ SLX 355 lathe and the innovative XYZ 2-OP vertical machining centre, all of which benefit from the ProtoTRAK control system. Alongside these will be the Siemens controlled XYZ 710 VMC and CT52 turning centre.

The industry-leading ProtoTRAK control system on the SMX 3500, SLX 355 and 2-OP provides simplicity and ease of use, thanks to a wide range of conversational cycles, making it ideal for one-off and small batch quantities. The control can be operated without any knowledge of CNC, with operators producing parts with minimal training. Combined with the control the XYZ bed mills and SLX lathes provide a robust machining platform with solid Meehanite cast bases, Turcite-B coated bedways on the mills, and extra wide vee and flat bedways on the SLX lathes. The XYZ 2-OP has proved extremely popular due to its versatility allowing users to rethink how they maximise available spindle time. This compact, but adaptable vertical machining centre is designed to be portable, bringing cellular manufacturing to virtually any machine shop. The cycle time savings resulting from using the XYZ 2-OP in this fashion are significant thanks to it freeing up more expensive machine tool capacity from pre- or secondary operation work, maximising spindle and labour hours. While the XYZ 2-OP may be compact and portable, it still has an impressive specification with axis travels of 355 mm by 305 mm by 455 mm (xyz), with a table size of 457 mm x 381 mm, a maximum table load of 250 kg, and rapid traverse is 15 m/min in all axes. Performance is enhanced by the use of a 3 hp (50 – 6000 revs/min) BT30 spindle that is supported by an eight-position toolchanger. All of this sits within a footprint of just 1220 mm by 760 mm.

The XYZ 710 VMC vertical machining centre and an XYZ Compact Turn 52 turning centre are among the most popular Siemens-controlled machines sold by XYZ Machine Tools. The XYZ VMC range shares several common features that highlight its high quality manufacture, namely the use of solid Meehanite castings featuring extra wide induction hardened box slideways with Turcite-B coatings for added rigidity and performance. Standard specification of the VMC range includes an 8000 revs/min 20 hp spindle, with feedrates up to 20 m/min in all axes.

The Compact Turn 52 may be the smallest turning centre in the extensive range of CNC turning available from XYZ Machine Tools, with a footprint of just 1700 mm by 1450 mm in its standard form. However, it still provides a powerful machining platform thanks to its 5000 revs/min/20 hp spindle and axis travels of 185 mm and 325 mm (X and Z), with rapid traverse rates of 20 m/min. Like all of the machines in the XYZ range, these turning centres benefit from a highly rigid and stable construction, with hardened and ground box slideways and solid meehanite castings for the major components.